Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Energy intake during pregnancy in relation to offspring gender by maternal height

  • DEVELOPMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
  • Published:
European Journal of Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Male newborns are somewhat heavier than female ones and it has been reported, in a Caucasian population, that mothers carrying boys have higher energy intake during pregnancy compared to those carrying girls. In the context of a prospective study comprising 150 Caucasian women in Boston, USA and 243 Asian women in Shanghai China, energy intake at the second trimester of pregnancy was estimated based on center-specific food frequency questionnaires. There was a significant interaction (P = 0.01) of maternal height with offspring gender with respect to maternal daily energy intake. Among taller women, male gender of the offspring was associated with higher maternal energy intake (difference 341 kcal/day, 95% Confidence Interval 77–604; P = 0.01), whereas among shorter women, no significant association existed between offspring gender and maternal daily energy intake (difference −213 kcal/day, 95% Confidence Interval −479 to 54; P = 0.12). Our findings indicate that the higher somatic growth potential of boys in intrauterine life is realized only when there are no constrains imposed by maternal anthropometry and it is, then, associated with higher maternal energy intake during pregnancy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Van Vliet G, Liu S, Kramer MS. Decreasing sex difference in birth weight. Epidemiology. 2009;20:622.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Tamimi RM, Lagiou P, Mucci LA, et al. Average energy intake among pregnant women carrying a boy compared with a girl. BMJ. 2003;326:1245–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Lipworth L, Hsieh C-c, Wide L, et al. Maternal pregnancy hormone levels in an area with a high incidence (Boston, USA) and in an area with a low incidence (Shanghai, China) of breast cancer. Brit J Cancer. 1999;79:7–12.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Lagiou P, Lagiou A, Samoli E, Hsieh CC, Adami HO, Trichopoulos D. Diet during pregnancy and levels of maternal pregnancy hormones in relation to the risk of breast cancer in the offspring. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2006;15(1):20–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Lagiou P, Samoli E, Lagiou A, et al. Maternal height, pregnancy estriol and birth weight in reference to breast cancer risk in Boston and Shanghai. Int J Cancer. 2005;117:494–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Xue F, Willett WC, Rosner BA, et al. Parental characteristics as predictors of birthweight. Hum Reprod. 2008;23:168–77.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Willett WC, Sampson L, Stampfer MJ, et al. Reproducibility and validity of a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Am J Epidemiol. 1985;122:51–65.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Romieu I, Stampfer MJ, Stryker WS, et al. Food predictors of plasma beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol: validation of a food frequency questionnaire. Am J Epidemiol. 1990;131(5):864–76.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Yang Y, Wang G, Pan X, editors. China food composition table 2002 (Book 1). Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, China CDC. China: Peking University Medical Press; 2002. p. 1–395.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Yang Y, Wang G, Pan X, editors. China food composition table 2004 (Book 2). Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, China CDC. China: Peking University Medical Press; 2004. p. 1–351.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Serdula M, Byers T, Coates R, et al. Assessing consumption of high-fat foods: the effect of grouping foods into single questions. Epidemiology. 1992;3:503–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Nelson M, Bingham S. Assessment of food consumption and nutrient intake. In: Margetts BM, Nelson M, editors. Design concepts in nutritional epidemiology. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press; 2000. p. 147.

    Google Scholar 

  13. FAO Food and Nutrition Technical Report Series. Human energy requirements. Report of a Joint FAO/WHO/UNU Expert Consultation. Rome, 17–24 October 2001. p. ix + 96.

  14. Cawley RH, McKeown T, Record RG. Parental stature and birthweight. Am J Hum Genet. 1954;6:448–56.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Emanuel I, Kimpo C, Moceri V. The association of maternal growth and socio-economic measures with infant birthweight in four ethnic groups. Int J Epidemiol. 2004;33:1236–42.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the W81XWH-05-1-0314 Innovator Award, US. Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program, Office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Pagona Lagiou, Hans-Olov Adami, Chung-Cheng Hsieh & Dimitrios Trichopoulos

  2. Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, University of Athens, 75 M. Asias Street, Goudi, 115 27, Athens, Greece

    Pagona Lagiou & Evangelia Samoli

  3. International Epidemiology Institute, 1455 Research Blvd, Suite 550, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA

    Loren Lipworth

  4. Faculty of Health Professions, Athens Technological Educational Institute, 274 Thivon Avenue, 122 41, Athens, Greece

    Areti Lagiou

  5. Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Box 281, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden

    Fang Fang, Hans-Olov Adami & Dimitrios Trichopoulos

  6. Laboratorio di Epidemiologia, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche ‘‘Mario Negri’’, Via Eritrea, 62-20157, Milan, Italy

    Marta Rossi

  7. Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Fudan University, 200023, Shanghai, China

    Biao Xu

  8. Biostatistics and Epidemiology Service, The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, 310 14th Street, New York, NY, 10003, USA

    Guo-Pei Yu

  9. Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, UMass Cancer Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, LRB 427, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA

    Chung-Cheng Hsieh

  10. Bureau of Epidemiologic Research, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Pagona Lagiou & Dimitrios Trichopoulos

Authors
  1. Pagona Lagiou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Evangelia Samoli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Loren Lipworth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Areti Lagiou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Fang Fang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Marta Rossi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Biao Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Guo-Pei Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Hans-Olov Adami
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Chung-Cheng Hsieh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Dimitrios Trichopoulos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pagona Lagiou.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lagiou, P., Samoli, E., Lipworth, L. et al. Energy intake during pregnancy in relation to offspring gender by maternal height. Eur J Epidemiol 26, 39–44 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-010-9528-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-010-9528-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation